Asia Week Highlights Unveiled｜Spring 2018 | Modern Art | Asia

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE AMERICAN COLLECTION
RAJA RAVI VARMA UNTITLED (TILLOTTAMA), CIRCA 1896. ESTIMATE $400,000–600,000.

Modern & Contemporary South Asian Art｜19 March

From Untitled (Tillottama), inspired by William-Adolphe Bouguereau’s iconic 19th-century masterpiece The Birth of Venus; to Shahzia Sikander’s Rendition of a wedding procession, evocative of Mughal nim qalam painting; and Sankho Chaudhuri’s abstracted modern bird sculpture, our Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art sale offers buyers an extraordinary breadth of works produced in this region from the 19th to the 21st centuries.

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AN EXTREMELY RARE BLUE AND WHITE 'LOTUS BUD' VASE. MING DYNASTY, CHENGHUA PERIOD. ESTIMATE $1,000,000–1,500,000.

MING: Luminous Dawn of Empire｜20 March

Following the success of its first thematic auction of Ming dynasty porcelain in March 2017, Sotheby’s New York is delighted to present a second installment of its MING sale series. MING: Luminous Dawn of Empire comprises the finest ceramics and works of art from Imperial workshops of the 15th century. Highlights include an exceptional Yongle mark and period gilt-bronze figure of Manjushri, a superb and extremely rare Xuande mark and period cloisonné enamel box and cover, and an extremely rare Chenghua period blue and white ‘lotus bud’ vase. The present pieces reflect the exquisite taste of the 15th century Ming court—an aesthetic awakening which would influence the art of imperial China for generations to come.

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A GREY SCHIST RELIEF CARVING OF AN APSARA, NORTHERN WEI DYNASTY. ESTIMATE $1,200,000–1,500,000.

Jingyatang: Treasures of Chinese Buddhist Sculpture｜20 March

This March, Sotheby’s is honored to present four masterpieces of early Chinese Buddhist sculpture from an esteemed Asian private collection. The stone sculptures collectively reveal the esoteric nature of Buddhist worship and exemplify the mastery and technical heights that sculptors reached in these periods.

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AN EXTREMELY RARE RELIEF-DECORATED FAMILLE-VERTE VASE QING DYNASTY, KANGXI PERIOD. ESTIMATE $80,000–120,000.

KANGXI: The Jie Rui Tang Collection｜20 March

This spring, Sotheby's is pleased to present a selection of 91 lots of Kangxi era ceramics from the collection of Jeffrey P. Stamen. The Jie Rui Tang collection was built over a thirty year period and is one of the finest, most comprehensive assemblages of Kangxi porcelain in private hands. The present selection features representative examples of major ceramic categories of the period, including imperial ‘birthday’ porcelains in doucai, large vases exquisitely painted with allegorical historical events, rare relief-decorated vases, blue and white and famille-verte porcelains illustrating scenes from popular narratives, and scholars’ objects in various forms, palettes, and techniques. The qualities of these works attest to the skill and ingenuity of Kangxi period potters and the diverse tastes of their patrons.

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AN IMPRESSIVE AND LARGE PAIR OF FAMILLE-ROSE FONTHILL ‘SOLDIER’ VASES AND COVERS, QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD, CIRCA 1740. ESTIMATE $250,000–400,000.

Inspired: Chinese Art from the Collection of Gerson and Judith Leiber｜20 March

Renowned figures in the fields of art and design, Gerson and Judith Leiber have spent their lives surrounded by beautiful art and objects. An established painter, Gerson Leiber has exhibited his abstract expressionist works across America, while Judith Leiber is none other than the celebrated handbag designer whose minaudières have graced the arms of First Ladies, celebrities and socialites alike.

Lesser known to the public is the collection of Chinese works of art amassed by Judith and Gerson Leiber over the course of their lifetime. Spanning almost 2,000 years of China’s artistic heritage and acquired mainly through prominent European and American dealers, the collection embodies a classic taste often found in traditional Western collections of Chinese art. Highlights include a large pair of Qianlong period famille-rose soldier vases and covers, formerly in the collection of Fonthill House, Wiltshire, England, sold by the Rt. Hon The Lord Margadale of Islay in 1965; a late Ming dynasty rare blue and white qilin-form censer, and a Qianlong mark and period teadust-glazed bottle vase.

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AN EXTREMELY RARE AND IMPORTANT BRONZE RITUAL WINE VESSEL AND COVER (YOU), SHANG DYNASTY. ESTIMATE $1,500,000–2,500,000.

Important Chinese Art｜21 March

Important Chinese Art presents over 230 lots of Chinese works of art dating from the Neolithic to Republic periods, representing all major collecting categories. Highlights include an extremely rare and important Shang dynasty bronze ritual wine vessel and cover (you); fine huanghuali furniture from a Canadian private collection; Qing ceramics and works of art from the collection of Ann and Gordon Getty; property from the Portland Museum of Art; and a collection of imperial enameled and monochrome Qing dynasty porcelain acquired from Sparks Ltd., London in the 1950s-60s.

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WEN ZHENGMING, ODE TO THE RED CLIFF, INK AND COLOR ON PAPER. ESTIMATE $380,000–580,000.

Fine Classical Chinese Paintings & Calligraphy｜23 March

The Classical Chinese Paintings & Calligraphy department offers another outstanding group of works with the most impeccable provenance, sourced from private collections worldwide, including those by Wen Peng, Deng Shiru, Zeng Guofan, Qi Baishi, Wu Hufan, Huang Junbi, Zhang Daqian, Fu Baoshi, Xie Zhiliu and many more. This season, we will present the Wellington and Juliana Koo Collection of Chinese Paintings & Calligraphy and Professor Chu-tsing Li’s Collection of Chinese Paintings & Calligraphy, two collections of remarkable provenance gathered by two important figures in the circle of Chinese paintings in America from the 1960s to 1990s.

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ZHANG DAQIAN, WATER AND SKY GAZING AFTER RAIN IN SPLASHED COLOR. ESTIMATE $1,200,000–1,800,000.

The Chew Family Collection of Chinese Paintings & Calligraphy｜22 March

This March’s New York Asia Week will showcase the Chew Family Collection of Chinese Paintings & Calligraphy , assembled by Ms Frances Chew, known as Sister Asha, and her parents in California beginning in the 1970s. The Chew family opened the China Art Center in Carmel, California, where they made the acquaintance of the celebrated modern ink painter Zhang Daqian. This sale proudly offers a number of fine and unusual works by Zhang, as well as classical paintings either collected or inscribed by the artist, including Pheasants In Snow and Ducks In Lotus Pond by Lin Liang, Rabbit Among Bamboo and Chrysanthemums by Tao Cheng and Landscapes after Song and Yuan Masters by Yun Shouping. Other highlights among the 70-plus works by acclaimed modern masters include three particularly rare hanging scrolls bearing spurious inscriptions and signatures, all of which are likely forgeries by Zhang Daqian, created for his own amusement. The fully illustrated catalogue will feature photographs of the Chew family and Zhang Daqian, published for the first time, revealing aspects of the painter’s life in California.

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PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF EDWIN AND CHERIE SILVER
A FINE GILT-BRONZE FIGURE DEPICTING NAIRATMYA, TIBET, CIRCA 14TH CENTURY. ESTIMATE $80,000–120,000.

Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Works Of Art｜22 March

This March, the department of Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Works of Art presents a curated selection of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain devotional, ritual and decorative works of art. The sale features an elegant selection of Tibetan and Himalayan bronze sculptures and thangka paintings; Buddhist ritual objects; classical Indian sculpture; and a fine collection of Indian miniature paintings. Highlights include magnificent Himalayan bronzes sourced from private international collections, including the fabulous Collection of Edwin and Cherie Silver.

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A THANGKA DEPICTING AN EARLY BUDDHIST MASTER, TIBET, 13TH CENTURY. ESTIMATE UPON REQUEST

The Richard R. & Magdalena Ernst Collection of Himalayan Art｜22 March

The Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Art department is honoured to present The Richard R. & Magdalena Ernst Collection of Himalayan Art , one of the highlights of Asia Week New York. Acquired over decades and representing a lifetime commitment to Himalayan painting and sculpture, this widely published collection will be remembered as one of the most significant single-owner sales ever held in this collecting category internationally. Featuring more than 100 paintings spanning the 12th through the 18th centuries, this magnificent collection is a testament to the discerning eye and impeccable taste of Richard and Magdalena Ernst.

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WANG SU, CHITCHAT IN BEANS CANOPY, INK AND COLOR ON SILK. ESTIMATE $2,000–4,000.

Saturday at Sotheby’s: Asian Art | 24 March

This season’s Saturday at Sotheby’s: Asian Art sale presents over 400 lots of Chinese, Indian, Himalayan, Southeast Asian, Japanese, and Korean fine and decorative art. Objects include ceramics, gilt-bronzes, screens, furniture, thangkas, paintings, and calligraphy, set at attractive estimates ranging from $200 to $50,000. With the diverse array of offerings, there is sure to be something for everyone, including the novice enthusiast, the lifestyle collector, and the seasoned connoisseur.

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FANTASY LANDSCAPE WITH WHITE RHINOCEROS, 1972. INK AND COLOR ON PAPER.

Luis Chan: The World Comes to Him｜15-28 March

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A painter, teacher, writer, curator, and ardent cultural advocate, Luis Chan (1905-1995) was born in Panama in 1905 and moved to Hong Kong at the age of five. He hardly travelled beyond its shores, but avidly read international art publications, painted constantly and remained a pivotal figure in the development of 20th century Chinese art. Starting with Western-style oils and watercolor, Chan soon developed a diverse repertoire of styles that did not fit within any prescribed genre or movement. His works range from surreal Chinese ink landscapes, fantastical portraits in oil, to graphic Matisse-esque collages and bold abstract experimentations reminiscent of ‘action’ painting.

This March, Sotheby’s New York will present a selection of works by Luis Chan representing all stages of his artistic output. His artworks intuit the frenzied, dynamic development of modern Hong Kong over six decades, from a sleepy fishing hamlet to the metropolitan city of his late years. At the heart of this exhibition is the constant presence of a man who viewed the world wielding a paintbrush and wonderful joie de vivre.

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COLIN MURRAY, BOURNE AND SHEPHERD & CO., CALCUTTA/ CLARK WORSWICK LAKE PALACE, UDAIPUR # 2227, 1872/ ATELIER WORSWICK 2017

The Great Within: Photographs of India and the British Raj in the 19th Century | 14-29 March

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Indian photography from the mid-nineteenth to the mid twentieth century remains ambiguous in history. The Great Within: Photographs of India and the British Raj in the 19th century will feature some of the subcontinent’s earliest photographs captured in an era when India was the Jewel in the British Crown. Images in our exhibition will include prints by photographers and photography studios that worked and operated in India at the time, including Colin Murray, Felice Beato, Raja Deen Dayal and Bourne and Shepherd, one of the oldest photography studios in the world. These photographs have been printed from the exceedingly rare original prints gathered over a six decade period by noted photo historian and collector, Clark Worswick. Most of these works have never before been seen or exhibited. With the intention of preserving and exhibiting these important images, Worswick has created a limited edition series of prints in state-of-the-art carbon inks to preserve these rare, immaculate and important images.

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